Menstrual Cup Awareness and Future Usage Possibilities of Consumers: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that menstrual health be recognized, defined, and addressed as a health and human rights issue rather than hygiene. The UN has acknowledged menstrual health as a worldwide public health and human rights concern. Poor menstrual health, inadequate sanitation facilities and inadequate education are defining characteristics of period poverty. To assess and compare among different age groups of respondents regarding knowledge and awareness regarding menstrual cup and their future possibilities for usage among women of Delhi, India. A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted between 1st April and 30th May 2022 among the females of Delhi NCR region, India. A total of 339 females participated in our study, which included 250 (73.7%) above the age of 20 years, whereas 89 (26.3%) were below that age. Most of the respondents were aware of menstrual health products such as menstrual pads -241 (96.40) above 20 years, 83 (93.26) below 20 years with [CI-1.03 (0.73, 1.46) p-value = 0.85], cotton pads-158 (63.20%), 50 (56.18%), [CI-1.12 (0.75, 1.67) p-value = 0.56], tampons-190 (76.00), 61 (68.54), CI- 1.10 (0.76, 1.61) pvalue = 0.59, and menstrual disc-34 (13.60%), 18 (20.22%), CI-0.67 (0.36, 1.25) p-value = 0.21. Among respondents above 20 years of age, 83.60% of respondents were aware of menstrual cups. When asked about the biodegradability of the menstrual health product, 158 (63.2%) respondents aged above 20 years and 54 (60.67%) respondents aged less than 20 years negated it [CI-1.04 (0.70, 1.54), p-value = 0.83]. Our research can help organization policymakers understand that a menstrual cup is an effective alternative to disposable sanitary products.